Those who know me well or follow me on Instagram might know that I just love finding a good bakery. No not all of my posts will be about bakeries and cafes, but the first thing that came to mind when deciding what I wanted to post was Pophams Bakery.
About two years ago, I was at a coffee shop called Redemption Roasters in Islington High Street (in Angel), and I saw this woman holding a brown paper bag with the nicest looking twisted pastry inside. I kid you not, I tried to see if there was any writing on the paper bag (which I couldn’t see) but ended up carefully asking her where she got it from! When I went and found the bakery called Pophams that day after finishing my coffee, that specific pastry had all sold out, but I still managed to get another sweet pastry (a peanut butter and raspberry jam one - so so good), then told myself I’d be coming back again.
The next time I went, I managed to get there early (like 10-11am), and finally tried the pastry that I saw before- the Rosemary and Sea Salt Twist (pictured below). They usually have each pastry displayed on the counter, and then when you choose from that they bring you the pastry straight from the racks (that have recently come out of the oven). This is why the twisted pastry was still slightly warm when I had it! The salt was the ‘nice‘ type (the flaky Maldon sea salt type), the pastry was flaky and had lots of layers in it, so I can definitely say that this still remains my favourite pastry from Pophams Bakery (I mean just look at it).
(Also just an FYI you never needed, but I plan to not post pictures with filters on because I want to show you pictures that are as realistic as possible - literally since last year, I stopped putting filters on my Instagram pictures too (if you discount photos from disposable cameras) because I wanted to).
My sweet tooth also means that I have of course tried the other pastries too. The options are nearly always changing depending on season, though if you get there relatively early (such as before noon), you can expect there to be one savoury pastry (e.g. ham and cheese), a pain aux chocolat, and about two more sweet pastry options. My favourite sweet pastry is for sure the peanut butter and raspberry jam one (because you can never go wrong with that combo).
Very recently, I was in Angel with my mum and we got one with strawberry, custard and elderflower, as well as a chocolate, hazelnut and malt one. It was the first time coming to visit the bakery after Covid, and it was so cool to see that the place had been renovated! Although the interior is small, it now had an open window and more outdoor seating, so it was good vibes only around that time of day (lunchtime). Moreover, the plates and coffee mugs were very aesthetic; see the picture below!
In attempt to give you both pros and cons to this place, first of all I want to say that especially for students (or to whoever reading this to be honest), the price is not pretty. Ok the rosemary and sea salt twist one is not as expensive, but for the ones pictured above (the sweet pastries with at least three different nouns in its title) you can expect a four-pound-something price. To be honest, I normally end up spending a while here at the cafe chatting or reading, and the pastry itself is so worth it (no extra explanation needed tbf) that I just end up treating myself, or when I’m lucky my mum treats me to a nice brunch, thanks mom :).
Also, the location is a bit of a hard one - the Pophams in in Islington Angel which is not very near central London. So unless you live near Islington or you happen to be around the area, it is not somewhere you can just ‘pass by’. As you can see from the location on Maps below (near the top right), the bakery itself is a few streets away from the central area of Angel (on the left side). However, I’d say that the pros outweigh the cons location-wise; every time I’ve been I got ‘well-known local bakery’ vibes, which is so cute.
I wrote the first half this blog post on the train (I was just like omg I am craving Pophams right now), then wrote most of the second half on the tube - luckily I had a Pret almond croissant just before so my Pophams cravings weren’t so bad! Currently I still haven't shared this because I am feeling kinda insecure to share my writings on my various thoughts, but I plan to share soon! If you are reading this then evidently I have, so thank you so so much for reading and hope you enjoy :)
Kathy
P.S. That was me reviewing my second post at Pophams Islington itself (22/08/21)! Below are a few of the pictures that I just took a few minutes ago…(as I say to my friends, the phone always eats first ;))
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